D&D General Market Pressure 6e

[Blue]

Let's start with the very likely false assumption that WotC starts designing 6e now. It's going to be an actual new edition, with as much difference to 5.5e as there was 3.5ed -> 4e and 4e -> 5e, so pretty big. Senior management wants something that will sell. Just to keep this focused on the TTRPG I'm going to say for some reason all of the people who want brand-tie in and online and such aren't a loud voice, they are trying to make a good RPG, as long as it sells -- so it needs to cater to those who do and could play D&D.

With that, what would be your predictions? Not what you want to happen, but what would you expect them to come out with given that.

I'll start, but this is more about adding your own thoughts, mine are just here to get the ball rolling and are far from complete.

• They'll keep all the big sacred cows: classes, levels, the same six ability scores. No moving to just a modifier for ability scores either, it's too "classic" and they want the continuity with D&D.
• Players like getting magic items, DM like giving them out. They're going to increase the amount of items expected to give out, but keep attunement though only use it for math adjustment items. Also will have prices listed.
• Will not want to increase barrier to entry above 5.5e, so a digestible list of starting classes, species, and starting feats. Yes, I think they'll keep feats.
• 1st level characters will get a boost in survivability but not power. Formalized rules for starting above 1st. A minority but voal complaint about 4e was that the characters started too powerful so there's those who want low powered starting characters (and "level 0" 3pp rules show even lower powered), but many 5e games start at a higher level.
• Keep death saves.
• Not sure about later character advancement choices. Feat chains vs. subclasses vs. something else, hopefully not multiple something elses that you can stack above others with system mastery, but that's a wish not a prediction.
• Foes/NPCs will continue along the streamlined-to-run path that 5e->5.5e has (actually starting late 5e).
• They'll bolt on some system conceptually taken from one of the other popular D&D-like games, trying to bring in players who like that, like they were inspired (heh) to add 5e Inspiration after other games did that sort of thing.

So, if WotC was developing 6e now, what do you think it would look like (less any DnDBeyond/online lock-in).

 

[Clint_L]

I just find your premises very difficult to entertain. WotC has made it VERY clear that DnDBeyond is their primary engine, so I think if you aren't starting from that premise, any further speculation hasn't much to stand on.

It's kind of like saying "Imagine if McDonalds no longer has restaurants. What would market pressure make it look like?"

Unless you are addressing that with your final line about DDB lock-in? But I think DDB locks in significant backwards compatibility. Like, that's the main thing it locks in.

 

[Remathilis]

"Let's start with the very likely false premise that The Beast with Seven Heads and Seven Diadems has arisen, taken control of all worldly nations, and forced them all to bow to it for seven years of tribulation. How will this market pressure impact WotC with the design and production of a D&D 666e?"

My dude, you are painting a hyper-specific set of scenarios that cannot be predicted, let alone with any sort or rationality. Most of these "predict" 6e" threads are just a passive-aggressive way of complaining about WotC and 5.5. They trot out the same list of holy bovines, wishing the system becomes more like their preferred 5e/OS clone, and inevitably devolves into edition warring. Because any predictions here will be a rooting in reality as my hypothetical query above.

 

[Morrus]

We're gonna need a new subforum! That's 3 of these threads on the first page of the D&D subforum right now!